YOUR BABYS DENTAL HEALTH STARTS BEFORE THEIR FIRST TOOTH
Why pregnancy changes your mouth, why your partner’s oral health matters too, and why family dental care should begin earlier than most parents realise
When those two lines appear on a pregnancy test, the dentist is probably not the first appointment that springs to mind.
There is the obstetrician. The scans. The supplements. The hospital decisions. The questions about birth, feeding and everything you suddenly seem expected to know about a body that is changing by the week.
Dentistry tends to sit somewhere much further down the list.
Dr Teodora Kent, a dentist at Artisan Dental in Singapore, thinks it deserves to move considerably higher - although she is quick to point out that she certainly does not expect anyone to look at a positive pregnancy test and immediately start thinking about their teeth.
“First things first, be excited.”
Then, once the excitement settles into planning, Teodora believes the dentist deserves a place in that preparation too.
The reason is much bigger than the bleeding gums many women associate with pregnancy.
Pregnancy genuinely changes the environment inside the mouth. Existing problems can become harder to manage. Morning sickness and reflux can expose teeth to repeated acid attacks. And perhaps most surprisingly, the oral health of the adults caring for a baby can form part of the child’s future dental risk.
That does not mean cavities are simply contagious. Modern dental science describes tooth decay as a biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven and multifactorial disease involving bacteria, diet, saliva, fluoride exposure, tooth structure, behaviours and the wider environment.[1]
But some of the bacteria involved in that process can be shared between people.
Which means Teodora’s central argument is an interesting one: looking after your baby’s teeth does not begin when you see their first tooth.
In some ways, it begins with you. Want to hear Teodora explain it in her own words? In our conversation below, Dr Teodora Kent and I explore what really changes in the mouth during pregnancy, how parents can influence a baby’s future oral health, and why family-centred dentistry is ultimately about much more than teeth.
Pregnancy does not just make your mouth feel different. It changes the conditions inside it.
Bleeding gums are probably the pregnancy-related dental symptom most women have heard about.
There is good reason for that. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can exaggerate the gums’ inflammatory response to plaque, making them redder, more swollen and more prone to bleeding. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that around 60 to 75 per cent of pregnant women develop gingivitis.[2]
But Teodora believes there is another piece of the puzzle that receives far less attention.
Saliva.
“The saliva piece is the one that most people actually aren’t aware of.”
We generally give very little thought to saliva until our mouth feels dry, but it performs an extraordinary amount of protective work. It helps clear food debris, buffers acids and supplies minerals involved in the constant process of demineralisation and remineralisation taking place at the surface of our teeth.
Pregnancy can alter that system.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 studies found pregnancy-related changes in several salivary factors relevant to tooth-decay risk, including calcium, phosphate, pH, buffering capacity and levels of Streptococcus mutans. Many of the changes became more pronounced later in pregnancy.[3]
There is one important nuance here.
It is tempting to simplify this into “pregnant women produce less saliva”, but the evidence is not that straightforward. Salivary flow findings vary between studies, and the same meta-analysis actually found an increase in stimulated salivary flow during the third trimester. What is clearer is that pregnancy can change the composition and protective characteristics of saliva, while some women also experience dry mouth.
That distinction matters because Teodora is not suggesting pregnancy automatically damages your teeth.
It does not.
What pregnancy can do is change the balance of protection and risk.
If you already had an area of early decay, add repeated vomiting, frequent snacking, difficulty brushing because of nausea and changes in the oral environment, and it becomes easier to understand how a previously manageable problem might progress.
That is very different from the old idea that a baby somehow takes calcium from your teeth.
Teodora refers to the familiar myth of losing a tooth with every baby and is unequivocal about it: “It’s not true.”
What can be true is that pregnancy creates circumstances in which someone may become more susceptible to tooth decay.
The objective is not to frighten women about what pregnancy will do to their mouths.
It is to catch vulnerabilities early enough that pregnancy does not get the opportunity to magnify them.
Why your dentist belongs in pregnancy preparation
This is where Teodora would like to see a fundamental shift in how we think about dentistry.
We are used to discussing pregnancy with an obstetrician, GP, physiotherapist, dietitian or other healthcare professional. Many people would never think to tell their dentist that they are trying for a baby.
Teodora sees that differently.
“A lot of people still don’t tell their dentist, ‘Hey, I’m trying to have a baby.’ Sometimes they do. And that is truly the best time to go. Okay, what can we do to support you?”
Preconception gives a dentist an opportunity to identify untreated decay, active gum disease or other issues before pregnancy changes the equation.
But discovering a problem after conception is not a reason to panic - or postpone necessary dental treatment until after the birth.
Preventive, diagnostic and restorative dental treatment is considered safe throughout pregnancy. The American Dental Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both state that necessary treatment, including fillings, root canals and extractions, can be performed during pregnancy, and delaying necessary care may allow a problem to become more complicated.[4]
That is a message Teodora particularly wants pregnant women to hear.
“Women should have dental treatment if needed during pregnancy. So dental treatment is safe and it is a lot better to do it earlier rather than later.”
The principle is simple. Pregnancy is not a reason to ignore your mouth. In fact, it may be one of the times when paying attention to it matters most.
Morning sickness creates a dental problem most women are never warned about
One of Teodora’s most immediately useful pieces of pregnancy advice concerns something many women instinctively do wrong.
If you vomit because of morning sickness or reflux, do not rush straight to the toothbrush.
Vomiting exposes the teeth to stomach acid. That acidic environment temporarily increases the risk of enamel erosion. Vigorous brushing immediately afterwards adds mechanical abrasion at precisely the moment when the tooth surface has just been exposed to acid.
“Enamel is the armour of the teeth, but it can be broken down.”
Teodora compares acid to kryptonite for that enamel armour.
Both the American Dental Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advise against brushing immediately after vomiting. Instead, rinse first. ACOG specifically suggests a solution of one teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in one cup of water to help neutralise the acid.[4][5]
Teodora uses around half an hour as a practical waiting period before brushing. The broader evidence-based principle is the important part: do not rush from vomiting directly to vigorous toothbrushing. Rinse, give your mouth time to recover, and then brush gently.
And if nausea makes brushing almost impossible first thing in the morning? Teodora is pragmatic. Use a smaller toothbrush head. A child’s toothbrush may be easier to tolerate. Go slowly. If first thing in the morning is impossible, try again later when your body is more cooperative.
Pregnancy dental care does not have to be perfect to be effective. Sometimes it simply needs adapting to the body you have that day.
Your pregnancy dental routine probably does not need to become complicated
For someone with no specific dental problems, Teodora does not believe pregnancy suddenly requires an elaborate new oral-care regime.
The boring basics remain remarkably powerful.
Brush thoroughly twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Clean between the teeth daily. Keep regular dental appointments. Pay attention to changes in your gums, teeth or mouth rather than assuming that because you are pregnant they must simply be tolerated.
And think about frequency, particularly where sugar is concerned.
Tooth decay is not simply about whether you ever eat something sweet. Oral bacteria metabolise dietary carbohydrates and produce acids, causing the pH around the teeth to fall. Repeated sugar exposure can therefore repeatedly tip the balance towards demineralisation.[1]
That becomes relevant in pregnancy because nausea may make little-and-often eating essential.
Teodora is not suggesting a woman struggling with morning sickness should simply stop snacking. Instead, she encourages women who need to eat frequently to think about what those repeated snacks are.
Nuts, vegetables, cheese or suitable protein-based options generally expose the teeth to less fermentable sugar than constantly grazing on sweets, dried fruit or sugary drinks.
It is not about making pregnancy one more exercise in dietary perfection. It is about understanding the environment your teeth are experiencing.
The really surprising part: your baby’s oral health is partly a family story
This is where the conversation moves somewhere many parents may not expect.
Teodora wants both parents to think about their oral health before their baby arrives.
Not because a father or partner is somehow responsible for what happens in a pregnant woman’s mouth, but because after the baby is born, both parents become part of the baby’s microbial environment.
A baby’s oral microbiome develops rapidly through contact with its environment, feeding and the people caring for it.
Research has repeatedly demonstrated mother-to-child sharing of strains of Streptococcus mutans, one of the bacterial species historically associated with tooth decay. A systematic review and meta-analysis found evidence of mother-to-child transmission, while ACOG specifically notes that common behaviours such as sharing spoons or licking pacifiers can transmit potentially decay-associated oral bacteria.[6]
Mothers appear to be a particularly important source, probably in part because they have traditionally been the primary caregiver in many of the populations studied.
But they are not necessarily the only source.
Family studies have found matching strains between some fathers and children too, and horizontal transmission from other people and environments is possible.[7]
This is why Teodora sees oral health as a family project rather than something that belongs only to the pregnant woman. If both parents enter the postpartum period with untreated decay and a less healthy oral environment, it makes sense to address that before waiting for the baby’s own teeth to appear.
The emphasis is not on somehow creating a bacteria-free household. That would be neither realistic nor desirable. It is about improving the adults’ oral health, treating active disease and reducing avoidable routes of saliva sharing where practical.
But no - kissing your baby is not going to give them cavities
This point needs particular care because useful preventive advice can very quickly become another source of unnecessary parental anxiety.
Teodora is keen for parents to reduce avoidable saliva-sharing, particularly if someone has active untreated decay. That can mean not sharing spoons, not cleaning a dummy or pacifier in your own mouth and avoiding mouth-to-mouth kissing.
These are also behaviours recognised in professional perinatal and infant oral-health guidance as potential routes for sharing decay-associated bacteria.[4][8]
But none of this means parents need to become frightened of normal physical affection.
A cavity is not an infection that simply jumps from one mouth to another. Tooth decay develops when multiple factors come together over time: oral biofilm, frequent exposure to fermentable carbohydrates, the tooth surface itself, saliva, fluoride exposure, brushing behaviours and other environmental and biological factors.[1]
So the fact that oral bacteria are shared within families does not mean that a parent with cavities will inevitably have a child with cavities. That is far too simplistic. Even Streptococcus mutans itself is only one part of a much more complex microbial ecosystem.
Teodora is careful about the distinction between increasing risk and guaranteeing an outcome. Greater exposure to bacteria associated with tooth decay may alter a child’s risk profile, but it does not determine what happens next.
And if you discover you have cavities after your baby is born?
“Your child is not doomed.”
There is still plenty you can do. Treat your own dental disease, improve the oral-health environment at home and establish healthy habits for your child. Prevention does not disappear simply because everything was not perfect before the baby arrived.
Bad teeth are not simply inherited
Parents who have struggled with their own teeth often assume their children are destined to do the same.
There is a genetic component to dental health. Enamel and dentine characteristics, saliva, immune response and other biological factors can contribute to individual susceptibility. Research into precisely how much of tooth-decay susceptibility is genetic remains complex and estimates vary widely.[9]
But genes do not operate in isolation. Diet, fluoride exposure, oral hygiene, access to preventive care, the oral microbiome and wider family behaviours all matter.
A parent’s difficult dental history is therefore useful information, but it is not a prophecy.
“So just because you had bad teeth doesn’t mean that your child will have bad teeth.”
Teodora also sees a wider generational shift in dentistry: away from waiting for disease and then treating it, and towards discussing how to prevent problems in the first place.
For parents who had difficult experiences with their own teeth growing up, that can be particularly powerful. Rather than passing on an inevitable dental fate, they have the opportunity to give their child a very different experience of prevention, healthcare and the dentist’s chair.
Before the toothbrush: making oral care normal
Teodora’s approach to infant dental care begins before there is much to clean.
She encourages parents to make gentle contact with a baby’s gums part of everyday care - using a clean finger or soft cloth without turning the process into a major procedure. Her reason is as behavioural as it is dental: you are helping a baby become familiar with someone touching and caring for their mouth.
Then, when a toothbrush eventually appears, the sensation is not completely unfamiliar.
Formal guidance varies on whether gum cleaning before teeth erupt is necessary, but professional recommendations agree on the important milestone: oral hygiene must begin no later than the eruption of the first tooth.[8]
Once that first tooth appears, current ADA and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidance recommends brushing twice daily using a soft, age-appropriate toothbrush and a smear - approximately the size of a grain of rice - of fluoride toothpaste for children under three.[10] From three to six years, the recommendation increases to a pea-sized amount.[10]
That is slightly more prescriptive than Teodora’s own emphasis on gradually establishing tolerance and consistency, but the philosophy sits comfortably alongside it: start early, use very little toothpaste and make looking after teeth something ordinary rather than something introduced only once there is a problem.
Teodora particularly likes turning brushing into a positive ritual. Her sister, for example, sings the same little song while brushing her baby’s teeth. It sounds insignificant, but that is precisely why it can work. It turns oral care into a familiar moment of connection rather than a battle that suddenly appears when a toddler has other ideas.
If toothbrushing has simply always been part of family life, parents are not trying to introduce an entirely new expectation at two or three years old.
When should children floss, use mouthwash and see a dentist?
As more teeth arrive, oral care naturally develops with them.
Flossing becomes relevant once the spaces between teeth can no longer be adequately cleaned with a toothbrush. That timing differs from child to child rather than occurring on one particular birthday, which is why a dentist can be useful in showing parents where cleaning between the teeth has become necessary.[8]
Mouthwash, meanwhile, is not an automatic next step for young children. The ADA does not recommend fluoride mouthrinse for children under six unless a dental professional specifically advises it, largely because younger children may swallow it.[11]
And the first dental visit should happen much earlier than many families realise.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends establishing a dental home within six months of the first tooth erupting and no later than 12 months of age.[12]
The purpose of that first relationship is much broader than looking for cavities. It is an opportunity to assess risk, discuss feeding and brushing, talk about fluoride, answer parents’ questions and allow a child to become familiar with dental care before there is anything painful or frightening to fix.
Teodora particularly likes the idea of little ones accompanying the family during routine dental care. They hear the sounds, see the chair and meet the people in an environment where nothing dramatic is happening.
Over time, the dentist can simply become somewhere the family goes to look after their health - rather than somewhere a child first encounters because something hurts.
Fluoride: less toothpaste than the advert suggests, but don’t remove it altogether
Fluoride is an area where parents are routinely confronted with contradictory information.
Teodora’s position is clear: she recommends fluoride toothpaste, and current evidence-based dental guidance supports that approach.
Both the ADA and AAPD recommend twice-daily use of an age-appropriate amount of fluoride toothpaste as a key measure for preventing childhood tooth decay.[10]
The part parents commonly get wrong is the quantity.
For children under three, think a smear or approximately a grain of rice. From three to six years, the recommended amount increases to no more than a pea-sized amount.
That is considerably less than the long ribbon of toothpaste covering an entire toothbrush head that many of us grew up watching in advertisements.
For adults, the same principle that fluoride needs time at the tooth surface helps explain the familiar advice to spit after brushing rather than repeatedly rinsing everything away with water.
Fluoride supplements are a separate issue. Teodora does not routinely prescribe fluoride tablets, and they should not be treated as a general childhood supplement to add without individual advice.
Professional guidance bases dietary fluoride supplementation on a child’s age, individual tooth-decay risk, total fluoride exposure and the fluoride concentration of the child’s drinking water.[13]
Singapore’s tap water is fluoridated, with the Ministry of Health reporting a fluoride concentration of around 0.5 mg/L.[14]
So this is an area where more is not automatically better. Parents should discuss individual supplementation with their child’s dentist or doctor rather than adding fluoride tablets independently to an otherwise healthy child’s routine.
Night-time habits deserve particular attention
Another part of this family approach is recognising that baby teeth matter in their own right.
They are not simply temporary teeth that can be ignored because adult teeth will eventually replace them. Early childhood tooth decay can progress quickly, and children who develop early childhood caries are at increased risk of future decay.[12]
One particularly important modifiable factor is repeated exposure to sugars, especially overnight. Current AAPD guidance advises against on-demand or nocturnal bottle feeding beyond 12 months and emphasises avoiding frequent sugar-containing drinks and foods.[12]
That does not mean feeding a baby becomes another dental minefield for exhausted parents. It means that as teeth appear and a child moves through infancy, oral health gradually becomes part of the wider conversation about drinks, snacks, feeding routines and bedtime.
A single imperfect night is not the issue. As with so much of preventive health, it is the repeated pattern over time that matters.
A healthy family mouth is about more than bacteria
Perhaps the most interesting part of Teodora’s view of family dentistry is that, in the end, it is not really just about bacteria.
It is also about the culture children grow up in.
Children see whether their parents brush their teeth. They hear how adults talk about the dentist. They absorb whether appointments are a normal part of looking after ourselves or something postponed until there is pain. And they notice whether oral health appears to be a shared family priority or something one parent is left to manage alone.
“And even if it wasn’t for the bacteria, it’s the habits and what you value your child is more likely to value as well.”
That may ultimately prove just as important as any discussion about Streptococcus mutans. A family that attends preventive appointments, brushes consistently, limits repeated sugary exposures, uses fluoride toothpaste and introduces children to dental care without fear is building several protective factors around that child at the same time.
There is also something reassuring about thinking of prevention in this way. It does not rest on parents executing one perfect intervention. It is created from dozens of ordinary behaviours repeated over months and years: the toothbrush before bed, the appointment that happens before something hurts, the parent who models that their own health matters too.
That is family dentistry in the fullest sense.
The dentist as part of your healthcare team, not someone who fixes teeth
This is where Teodora’s philosophy extends well beyond pregnancy and babies.
She wants people to have what she calls a dental home - not simply a clinic they ring when a tooth breaks, but a dentist who knows them and understands the wider context of their health.
That might mean being comfortable mentioning that you are trying for a baby. It might mean telling your dentist you have started experiencing reflux, changed your diet, become anxious about treatment or avoided an appointment for several years because you were frightened of what they might find.
“So find your person, find someone who you can connect with, who you trust with, who will listen to you.”
We routinely apply those criteria when choosing a GP, obstetrician, therapist or other professional involved in intimate areas of our lives. Teodora believes we should expect that kind of relationship from dentistry too.
Her first appointments are deliberately conversational because she believes knowing the person affects how effectively she can care for their teeth.
“Teeth are great, I love them, but it’s a person that’s really important. So if you can’t take care of the person, if you can’t connect with the person, how are you going to bring about those changes or highlight some of the things that need to be done in a non-judgmental way.”
She remembers a young woman who arrived after avoiding dental care for two years. Before explaining what had happened, the patient said something revealing:
“Please don’t judge me.”
For Teodora, that is exactly what modern dentistry should be trying to undo. If shame makes somebody postpone a problem for another six months, it has achieved nothing.
Her aim is to tell patients what she sees, explain what needs attention and then work with them rather than making the dental chair another place where they feel they have failed.
Her patients are told they can stop the appointment whenever they need to.
“You are in control.”
That approach has very personal roots.
Teodora experienced significant dental trauma herself after an accident as a child. She knows how deeply an experience with a dentist can influence somebody’s relationship with their own mouth and smile, and she now has the opportunity to create the opposite experience for another generation.
That means talking directly to children because they are the patient, while still listening to their parents. It means helping them understand what is happening. It means giving them a sense that they can ask questions and have some control over what happens to their body.
And those early encounters with healthcare may matter far beyond dentistry.
A child who grows up expecting healthcare professionals to talk to them, listen to them and treat them respectfully is learning something about their own agency at the same time as they are learning how to look after their teeth.
For Teodora, changing that relationship is a large part of what gives the work meaning.
“So if we can change the way people see that, all the better. Like ticking life goals right there.”
And perhaps that is the deepest point of this entire conversation.
The best time to support your child’s future relationship with their teeth may not be when they develop their first cavity, and it may not even be when their first tooth appears.
It may begin much earlier: when future parents decide that their own oral health is part of preparing for a family; when a child grows up seeing dental care as prevention rather than punishment; and when the dentist becomes another trusted person helping a family stay well rather than somebody they meet only when something has gone wrong.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BABIES AND DENTAL CARE
Is it safe to go to the dentist while pregnant?
Yes. Preventive, diagnostic and necessary restorative dental care is considered safe during pregnancy. Necessary treatment such as fillings, root-canal treatment and extractions can be performed during pregnancy, and delaying treatment may allow a dental problem to become more complicated. Tell your dentist that you are pregnant and discuss any individual medical considerations with your dental and obstetric teams.[4]
Why do gums bleed more during pregnancy?
Pregnancy hormones can exaggerate the gums’ inflammatory response to plaque bacteria. This can result in pregnancy gingivitis, causing red, swollen or bleeding gums. Good brushing, interdental cleaning and professional dental assessment remain important rather than simply accepting bleeding as an unavoidable pregnancy symptom.[2]
Should I brush my teeth immediately after vomiting during pregnancy?
No. Stomach acid can temporarily increase the vulnerability of the tooth surface to erosion. Rinse first rather than immediately scrubbing the teeth. ACOG suggests rinsing with one teaspoon of baking soda mixed into one cup of water after vomiting to help neutralise the acid.[5]
Can parents pass cavity-causing bacteria to their baby?
Parents can share oral bacteria with babies through saliva, and research particularly supports mother-to-child transmission of Streptococcus mutans. Fathers and other caregivers may also contribute to microbial exposure. However, cavities themselves are not simply transmitted from one person to another. Tooth decay is multifactorial and depends on factors including diet, oral biofilm, fluoride, saliva, oral hygiene and individual susceptibility.[1][6][7]
Should parents avoid kissing their baby?
Normal affection should not become a source of anxiety. Where saliva-sharing can easily be avoided — for example sharing utensils, licking a dummy or kissing directly on the mouth — reducing it is a reasonable preventive measure, particularly where a caregiver has active untreated tooth decay. Kissing a baby’s cheek or forehead and normal cuddling are not the issue being discussed.
When should I start brushing my baby’s teeth?
Begin brushing as soon as the first tooth erupts. Current ADA and AAPD recommendations are to brush twice daily using a soft, appropriately sized toothbrush and a rice-grain-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste for children under three.[10]
Does my baby need fluoride toothpaste?
Yes, current ADA and AAPD recommendations support using fluoride toothpaste from the first tooth. Use only a smear or rice-grain-sized amount before age three, then a pea-sized amount from three to six years.[10]
When should my child first see a dentist?
A dental home should be established within six months of the first tooth erupting and no later than the child’s first birthday. An early visit allows the dentist to assess risk, advise parents and familiarise the child with dental care before there is a problem.[12]
When should children start flossing?
Flossing should begin when adjacent teeth touch closely enough that the surfaces between them cannot be adequately cleaned with a toothbrush. Because children’s spacing differs, your dentist can show you when and where flossing is necessary.[8]
Are fluoride tablets necessary for babies and children in Singapore?
They are not a routine supplement every child automatically needs. Fluoride supplementation should take account of the child’s age, tooth-decay risk and total fluoride exposure, including drinking water. Singapore tap water is fluoridated, so parents should discuss individual supplementation with their child’s dentist or doctor rather than introducing tablets independently.[13][14]
Can bad teeth be inherited?
There is a genetic contribution to characteristics that affect dental health, including aspects of enamel, saliva and individual susceptibility. But tooth decay is multifactorial. Genetics does not mean a child is destined to repeat a parent’s dental history. Diet, fluoride, oral hygiene, preventive care, bacterial ecology and other environmental factors remain important.[1][9]
About Dr Teodora Kent
Dr Teodora Kent is a dentist at Artisan Dental in Singapore, where her clinical focus includes preventive and family dentistry.
She holds a Bachelor of Dental Science with First Class Honours from the University of Queensland and has practised dentistry for more than 15 years across Australia and Singapore. Her honours research has been published internationally, and her approach centres on long-term oral health, careful communication and creating a calm, supportive dental experience for adults and children.
She has a particular interest in supporting families, young children and patients who feel anxious about dental treatment or have experienced difficult dental care in the past.[15]
Sources and footnotes
1. Dental caries is a multifactorial disease. American Dental Association, Caries Risk Assessment and Management, and Pitts et al., Nature Reviews Disease Primers.American Dental Association: Caries Risk Assessment and Management Nature Reviews: Dental Caries
2. Pregnancy gingivitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Talking to Pregnant Women about Oral Health.CDC: Pregnancy and Periodontal Disease
3. Salivary changes during pregnancy. Yousefi M, Parvaie P, Riahi SM. Salivary factors related to caries in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Dental Association, 2020.PubMed: Salivary factors related to caries in pregnancy
4. Dental treatment during pregnancy and maternal oral health. American Dental Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.ADA: Pregnancy and Dental Care ACOG: Oral Health Care During Pregnancy and Through the Lifespan
5. Protecting teeth after vomiting and reflux. ADA and ACOG recommend rinsing rather than brushing immediately after vomiting; ACOG describes use of a baking-soda-and-water rinse.ADA: Pregnancy Oral Health Guidance ACOG: Morning Sickness and Tooth Enamel
6. Mother-to-child transmission of Streptococcus mutans. Bastos VAS et al. Mother-to-child transmission of Streptococcus mutans: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Dentistry, 2015.PubMed: Mother-to-child transmission of Streptococcus mutans
7. Oral bacteria can also be shared by fathers and other family members. Kozai K et al. Intrafamilial distribution of mutans streptococci in Japanese families and possibility of father-to-child transmission.PubMed: Intrafamilial transmission study
8. Perinatal and infant oral-health guidance. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Perinatal and Infant Oral Health Care.AAPD: Perinatal and Infant Oral Health Care
9. Genetics and susceptibility to dental disease. American Dental Association, Genetics and Oral Health.ADA: Genetics and Oral Health
10. Fluoride toothpaste and brushing from the first tooth. American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidance recommends twice-daily brushing, with a rice-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste under age three and a pea-sized amount from three to six.ADA: Toothpaste Guidance AAPD: Policy on Use of Fluoride
11. Fluoride mouthrinses in young children. The ADA does not recommend fluoride mouthrinse for children under six unless directed by a healthcare professional because of the risk of swallowing it.ADA: Fluoridation FAQs
12. First dental visit and prevention of early childhood tooth decay. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Policy on Early Childhood Caries.AAPD: Early Childhood Caries – Preventive Strategies
13. Dietary fluoride supplements. American Dental Association guidance states that supplementation should depend on age, tooth-decay risk, drinking-water fluoride concentration and other fluoride exposure.ADA: Fluoride – Topical and Systemic Supplements
14. Fluoride in Singapore’s water supply. Singapore Ministry of Health reports fluoridation of tap water at approximately 0.5 mg/L.Singapore Ministry of Health: Water Fluoridation
15. Dr Teodora Kent’s professional background. Artisan Dental and Pregnant and Popped provider profiles.Artisan Dental: Dr Teodora Kent Pregnant and Popped: Dr Teodora – Artisan Dental
About this article
This article was created from Dr Teodora Kent’s recorded conversations with Pregnant and Popped, supported by her original voice notes and a follow-up editorial discussion. It has been shaped for clarity and readability while preserving Dr Teodora Kent’s ideas, experiences and intended meaning.
Disclaimer
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